Lake Lenape Park yesterday and today

By Julia Train

On a sunny day, the parking lots on both sides of Lake Lenape Park are filled, the pavilions are decorated for celebrations and children are running around the playground.

When asked to name a fact about the history of Lake Lenape, most people are likely to state that it was named after the Lenni Lenape indigenous people.

a lthough that’s an important piece of local history, there’s more to the story.

Today, people enjoy a plethora of recreational activities at the lake’s parks, but the east side once had more than that.

about 200 years ago, the area that Lake Lenape took over was an apple orchard, but it was replaced with a dam.

In 1847, the dam was constructed to power the cotton mill, which was where Wheaton’s glass factory was. Today, the building is dilapidated and people fish on the bridge next to it.

Then, in 1867, the rest of Lake Lenape was created by flooding.

Before the county owned both sides of Lenape Park, it only owned the West while the East side had four different owners.

Gazebos, a softball/ baseball field, volleyball, playgrounds, picnic tables, pavilions, a small beach and a catering hall. This side of the park was renovated within the past year with the addition of a pavilion and pickleball courts.

Dawn and Ray Jackson, a local couple, were under the newly added pavilion celebrating their marriage after 25 years together.

The two were accompanied by their children and other family members and friends, enjoying their food and drinks that they set up on the pavilion’s tables.

If it weren’t for another couple, Lorenzo and Berta Leiling, the park wouldn’t have looked like it did on that sunny day.

a round 1903, the Leilings moved to the head of what is now known as Park Road and opened a dairy farm.

The couple’s local priest thought it was a beautiful spot for a picnic because of the trees along their property. It turned into a spot where local churches would have regular picnics.

On Memorial Day of 1907, the couple opened Lenape Lake Park to the public and it was a site for an abundance of attractions.

young purchased Lenape Park.

In the following years, the tower’s music stopped because the growing population wasn’t fond of the constant church hymns music.

Over the years, the lighthouse was used as a living quarters for lifeguards, storage for boating supplies and a clubhouse for young people.

a lthough the purpose has changed, it has always been a point of reference along the lake for boaters and a notable landmark.

In 1963, the skating rink burned and it was rebuilt 12 years later where it is today on Park Road.

In 1975, David Gillian, the owner of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, signed a lease to buy the park, but faltered. The youngs then sold the park to the owners of the Inn at Sugar Hill, Larry and Tina Boylan. young's Skating Center, owned by Edmund young’s daughter, is next to the entrance to Lenape Park East.

Eight years later, they sold the park to the county for $3.8 million.

Now, the park is home to celebrations, both private and public and is a place that people of all ages can enjoy.

*All historical facts are from archives from the Hamilton Township Historical Society*

Lenape Park West is the side located off Old Harding Hwy, near Weymouth Road. Today, visitors bike, hike, kayak/ canoe, fish, camp, hunt and have picnics in this area. There are also gazebos, and a boathouse where local high schools host their regattas.

Lenape Park East is home to the Cove, lighthouse and young’s Skating Center. There’s a playground, a skating rink with a dining room attached to it was built over the lake and rooms for boarders were located on the second floor. There was also a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, scooter boats, kiddie planes and a “T”-shaped pier was eventually installed.

In 1939, the Leilings commissioned Herman Dehn, a German immigrant, to build a tower. By 1943, the 65-foot wooden lighthouse was finished. There were speakers atop the structure, which played church music for nearby residents to hear. It was soon called “The Tower of Music.”

In 1960, Edmund and Winnie